Public health scholar and Holocaust survivor Irene Hasenberg Butter has died. She was 95 years old.
A survivor of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Butter immigrated to the United States after the war.
She attended Queens College in New York and went on to earn a Ph.D. in economics from Duke University. Beginning in 1962, Butter taught at the University of Michigan, researching healthcare and the health care workforce with a focus on women's health. She became Professor Emeritus of Public Health in 1996.
Butter cofounded the Raoul Wallenberg Medal and Lecture series at U of M. The program honors the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.
During her long career at the University of Michigan, Butter spent time educating younger generations about the Holocaust.
In a 2020 interview with Michigan Public’s Stateside, Butter lamented how many politicians strive to divide us by our differences.
“What we need to work for is unity and unification, and understanding, and overcoming the divide and overcoming the hatred,” said Butter.
In her 2018 memoir Shores Beyond Shores: from Holocaust to Hope, Butter emphasized the power of one person to make a difference.
In 2024, Butter received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany — that nation’s highest civilian honor.
In 2025, she received the Anne Frank Award for Human Dignity and Tolerance, recognizing her lifelong commitment to Holocaust education, peace activism, and human rights.
